Wednesday’s Wall Street Journal carried an interesting profile of Atul Nakhasi. The 19-year-old pre-med (of course) college student from Iowa proclaims: “They’re sucking up to me…” But just who is “they?”
A hand-written thank-you from Bill Clinton and a private lunch with Sen. Joe Biden are becoming normal fare for college junior Atul Nakhasi…
The ambitious, energetic president of the University of Iowa Democrats has cleverly plotted to turn his once-moribund organization into a sought-after player in the Iowa caucuses, where the first delegates in the 2008 presidential campaign will be chosen. Today, Mr. Nakhasi will be on the stage when Barack Obama speaks to the campus…“He knows every single organizer of the campaigns,” marveled Mark Bowers, 19, president of Hawkeyes for John Edwards, “and they all, obviously, want him to support that candidate…” [Link]
I have to say I’m a bit jealous of young Atul. If I could devote all my energies these days to Sepia Mutiny, I’d be using it for such utterly Machiavellian purposes myself ;) The fact that young Atul can work the system as efficiently as he does has everything to do with the crazy primary and electoral process we now have. Candidates have to suck up to him (and the vote he can potentially turn out) because if they don’t take Iowa they are facing a standing ten count in their fight to become the nominee. Having to win in a state like Iowa or New Hampshire (who let’s face it, no one cares about) is bound to enable some smart and enterprising kingmakers such as Atul.
Mr. Nakhasi, who unsuccessfully ran twice for student body-president, is a year younger than most of his fellow juniors and a year ahead of them in credits; he could graduate in May. This summer, he turned his energies to reviving the [University Democrats].
Mr. Nakhasi created an executive board for the leaders of the candidate-support groups. He gave them titles and positions and established the University Democrats as the umbrella organization, to which all the other groups report. “Who wouldn’t want a position on an executive board?” he said with a laugh. The University Democrats would also take a prominent role in all candidate visits.
Mr. Nakhasi recruited representatives by claiming the other groups were already on board, even those that didn’t like one another. The groups that support Hillary Clinton, Mr. Obama and Mr. Edwards all joined when Mr. Nakhasi told them the others had committed. “We played them against each other, and it worked out wonderfully,” he said. [Link]
That dear readers is mutinous. We need more cowbell like that. This last part is my favorite because it shows how to properly reap a reward from what you have worked hard to create:
Mr. Nakhasi announced his most ambitious event to date: a discourse at the university with the top six Democratic contenders, set for Nov. 11. Mr. Nakhasi says he will give each of the candidates 22 minutes to speak, including 18 minutes for Q&A from students. He also wants to include a lightning round, letting students fire quick questions. “Maybe I’ll ask Hillary what the state bird of Iowa is,” Mr. Nakhasi joked. [Link]In these days of hired audiences and scripted debates, we might learn something by forcing the candidates to take quick-fire questions from students. That’s how you learn the most about a candidate. In the coming months you’ll see SM do its part.
